Vision Building-a Sure Way to Facilitate Sustainable institutions for the Poor
5
Money Transfers between Orissa and Gujarat:
A unique microfinance product for poor migrant workers
A
same time there was a famine in Orissa
re migrant workers citizens of India?
and people were dying. There was no
Are they enumerated in the Census?
alternative for people but to leave their
Do they figure in voter lists or do they
homes in search of work. It is said that at
vote? Are we even aware of where they
that time it took seven days to reach
originate from?
Gandhidham from Orissa.
Forced to leave their homes in search of
The purpose of this narration is to throw
work, migrant workers at times have no
some light on the helpless condition of
connection with their families for months,
the people who moved in search of
sometimes for years together. Over and
work. At that time there was no
above, adverse working and living
government,
no
banker,
no
conditions and exploitation at the hands
development agency who came to their
of labour contractors reduce their lives
rescue. When I started the work
to sub-human levels. For eg. we have
independently in the early '90s, it was
never found an urinal/toilet in the textile
beyond our imagination that was such
factories for the workers in Surat.
a vast population of workers who had
The history of modern migration dates
left their homeland.
back to the early 20th century. In the
Private moneylenders moved in quickly
1920s people from poverty-ridden areas,
to, realising the need of these migrant
especially famine-affected areas, went
workers to send money home to their
to the then prosperous Burma (Myanmar)
families. They became the self-styled
in search of livelihoods. Economic and
carrier agents and collected money from
cultural exchanges also culminated in
the migrants and distributed it to the
inter-racial marriages. But everything
families back home. Since these people
changed when U Nu came to power.
collected the money in a small tin pot
The local inhabitants butchered some of
(usually used for storing household items
the business class people, mostly Indians.
in the kitchen) and physically carrying
Those who wanted to flee the turmoil
the cash from Gujarat to Orissa, they
had no means to do so. Finally, the then
were known as the Dabawalla/
Indian government under the leadership
Tappawalla. Surprisingly enough, they still
of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
continue their activities although no
reached an agreement with the Burma
more in tin pots.
government and the remaining people
of Indian origin were transported back
From a study it has been estimated that
by ship.
at least more than a 1,000 Tappawallas
operate in the city of Surat, each
This was long back in the 1960s. These
carrying cash to the tune of Rs 200,000/
people were referred to as Burmese
per month. At the time of festivals this is
repatriates. There was some political
multiplied. Some were smarter than
initiative to organise them. But all these
these Tappawallas and transformed the
failed. When they left the country they
transactions into a commercial activity.
were alone. When they came back with
These people created a phrase to
their families, the majority of the women
attract the poor workers and gave it a
were Burmese. Their long absence had
name "Saral Bayu Seva" (Simple Air
led to a disconnect with social norms. In
Service). These were the private
fact, for many, they were dead and as
operators or the private courier service.
per Hindu traditions, their original families
They used the fax machine as a mode
in India had performed their last rites.
of information exchange. They invested
Hence they could not be socially
around Rs one million in order to provide
accepted, had no share in property and
the fast service so as to compete with
were not even allowed into their own
the Tappawallas.
homes. A once prosperous community
became beggars. They had to leave
Today, Tapawallas are mostly limited to
their land again in search of livelihoods.
one village or operate on personal
The second exodus thus began in the
rapport. But the courier services operate
early 1970s.
in a large operational area through
collection and distribution agents. The
By this time there was a shift in trade from
services are usually provided within 24
Bombay to Surat. The wealth was
Do they figure in
to 48 hours. There is no accountability
concentrated in zari work, the diamond
voter lists or do
and no legality and no proper
trade and the textile industry. Large
registration. In spite of this they are able
they vote?
human resources were required for these
to send cash amounting to about Rs 10
Are we even
industries. Apart from this there was a
million a month. Some of these courier
huge requirement for manpower in
aware of where
agencies pay Rs 5000 to some
infrastructure development, especially
they originate
government officials including the police
the railway line to Kuchh. During the
from?
in order to avoid any untoward incident.
